


Right Person, Rong Time.

by minatozakimchi



Category: A Pink (Band)
Genre: Angst, Apink - Freeform, Chobom, Chomi, F/F, Friends With Benefits, Some Explicit Scenes, bomi doesn't know though, but then they catch feelings, imagine being the love of chorong's life wow bomi can relate, it's a rollercoaster ride, some explicit words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minatozakimchi/pseuds/minatozakimchi
Summary: Chorong would've never imagined being friends with benefits with Bomi. Alternatively, where Chorong realises she’s helplessly in love with her best friend but before Bomi can realise her own feelings for Chorong, she meets Haru.Bomi is oblivious and Chorong has to make a choice, but what choice would that be when the happiness of someone she loves is at stake?
Relationships: Park Chorong/Yoon Bomi, Yoon Bomi/ Haru
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	Right Person, Rong Time.

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic! i wrote this because chorong has brought up (on multiple occasions) her dissatisfaction with bomi spending so much time with "other unnies" and we all know she was talking about haru lmao chorong you ain't slick,,, anyways, you're in for a bumpy ride, hope you enjoy! i'm on twitter @minatozakimchi :>

// start //

When Chorong was a child, neglect was a feeling too familiar to her. It wasn’t her fault that she was the middle child in her family. The only time Chorong felt attention and recognition was when her father trained her in hapkido. It’s the only reason she kept training. Naturally, being a hapkido master, Chorong’s father wanted to pass it on to the next generation in his family. She continued learning and practicing through sweat and tears for 8 years, earning herself a _sam dan (3rd degree)_ black belt in hapkido. It might’ve been her father’s proudest moment of her, and it was upsetting that it was something she _didn’t want to do_ , but it was still an achievement, nonetheless.

What she _did_ want to do was be an idol. At age 18, she decided to go to Seoul and audition for Jyp entertainment. She made it to the last round where she was then eliminated but it only fuelled her passion and she eventually joined Acube entertainment as a trainee at 19 years old.

_And that’s where she meets Bomi._

Bomi is like a fire you can’t put out. She’s cheerful and bubbly, the life of the party type of person. Bomi was already a trainee in the company when Chorong joined. As a trainee, she was friendly with everyone and it was impossible not to hear Bomi if you were in the same room as her. Chorong learned this from first-hand experience.

With time, they get along and Chorong learns a few more things about Bomi. Like Chorong, Bomi had a _3rd degree_ black belt but in taekwondo. She’s from suwon and is also a middle child - a younger brother and an older sister. Chorong has never had a boyfriend. It wasn’t because she was lacking any admirers. In fact, she had a good handful of boys fawning over her innocent self in high school. She just didn’t want to get together with someone she didn’t _love_. Sure, she didn’t have a definition of what love feels like, but she definitely didn’t feel anything for any of those boys that chased her. That didn’t mean she _wasn’t_ straight, though… right?

_Wrong_. But she didn’t know that.

Bomi, however, has had her fair share of relationships in the past year - “ _flings_ ” would be more appropriate, albeit she was only 17. None lasted more than two months and they were all mainly sexual relationships - you know, the libido of a wild teen. She attended an all-girls high school, which was when she realised she liked girls _a lot_ more than she did boys, and has dated a few “pretty ones” as Bomi called them. Chorong felt she didn’t really need to know any of that, but she learned that Bomi had a tendency to babble on and share too much information so Chorong kept mum and let herself get used to it. She told Chorong to keep it a secret though, because she didn’t even want to imagine the repercussions the company would give her if word about her sexuality got out. It was huge, yes, but she trusted Chorong, even that early in their friendship.

They got even closer within the next two years of training to debut in a group together, especially since Bomi was the closest to Chorong’s age. It wasn’t like Bomi was the most obedient person in the room, no, that would definitely be Naeun, but she did respect Chorong when the older girl stepped up as the leader of the group, even pre-debut. Bomi always showed that she could hear Chorong, even if the older girl didn’t actually _say_ anything, and Chorong liked it. She liked how attentive Bomi was towards her. Attention - something she wished she had more of as a child.

Through the first 7 years of Apink, the friendship between Chorong and Bomi only grew stronger. The whole group got closer too but Chorong and Bomi were exceptionally close, like ~~soulmates~~ best friends. They’ve gone on several trips together without the other members and they always share a bed in the hotel. Bomi gets scared sleeping alone in hotels and Chorong doesn’t mind. They save money on an extra room and bed too, which is good, but they genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Anyways, she learns that Bomi likes being a big spoon and Chorong enjoyed being little spoon because it made her feel _safe_.

_Bomi makes her feel safe._

All six of them had originally lived together, but because they owned too many things and the dorm was constantly a mess, they moved into a building where they lived in two separate apartments on two separate floors. Separated but not too far away. After 7 years of living with one another, the contracts to their houses came to an end and the group amicably decided that they should live separately from then on. It was a good reason to go back to their families and spend time living with their parents. For Eunji, she decided to get her own place like the independent woman she is. Chorong and Bomi, however, decided to get a place _together_.

“It saves us money and we get along well so why not, right?” Bomi had reasoned out with her curious fans during her livestream on the v app.

//

Some nights when Chorong feels lonely, she’ll just ask Bomi to sleep with her and they’ll go to either one of their rooms together when they feel like sleeping. When Bomi feels lonely, it’s usually really late in the night and Chorong is already asleep so she resorts to quietly sneaking into Chorong’s room and sliding under the blanket, slowly hugging the older girl from the back, being as careful as Bomi ever is to not startle a sleeping Chorong. Tonight just happens to be one of those nights.

“Bbom-ah”, it wasn’t a question and it didn’t hold much emotion. Almost like a plain statement, an acknowledgement that she was awoken and she knew Bomi was there hugging her. Regardless, it comes out as a soft husky voice and Bomi’s heart falters a little, but she doesn’t dwell on it.

“Sorry unnie, go back to sleep” she whispers as she nuzzles Chorong’s hair, breathing in the nice scent of her shampoo. Her eyes close peacefully and her hand falls lower around the older girl’s waist. A sleepy “mmm” is all Chorong manages to reply before Bomi smiles ever so slightly. They’re comfortable and used to this. They fall asleep like that but when Bomi wakes up, she’s alone in bed. She catches a whiff of freshly brewed coffee and pancakes though, so she has a pretty good idea of where the missing Chorong had gone.

Chorong was a homebody that liked her things neat and tidy. She enjoyed staying home, preparing meals and doing the laundry - very domestic people things. Bomi, on the contrary, is way too lazy to do all that and way too dependent on Chorong with her life. Her non-celebrity friends tease her and say she’d probably die without Chorong taking care of her and their home, and she doesn’t deny it.

Bomi silently walks out of Chorong’s room and sees her in the kitchen frying pancakes. Bomi smiles and walks over to her, wrapping her arms around Chorong’s waist - a habit Bomi has developed for Chorong through the years. Chorong jumps a tiny bit from the sudden contact and she’s surprised Bomi is even awake without having to wake her.

“Good morning, I smelled something nice so I got out of bed”, Bomi kisses her cheek, and _this_ doesn’t surprise Chorong as much. Chorong despises skinship or any form of physical affection from anyone. Through the years, however, Chorong has gotten used to Bomi’s physical displays of her affection for Chorong and the other members so she stopped trying to resist it, knowing Bomi is persistent. Easier to let it happen than to try stop it, is what she believed. The development furthers a little more when Chorong gets physically clingy with Bomi, hooking their arms or holding onto the younger girl’s arm when walking side by side. The development furthers _a lot_ more when Bomi becomes the only member Chorong willingly kisses on the cheek. No one knows when or how these developments even happened, but they did, and Bomi often gets butterflies in her stomach or a swelling feeling in her chest when Chorong initiates anything that involves touching Bomi. _But it isn’t anything significant,_ is what Bomi tells herself. It _can’t_ be. She’s probably imagining things, right?

_Wrong._ But she didn’t know that.

Bomi has been getting this tight feeling in her chest often when she’s around Chorong since a few years ago. The first time she felt the rush was in Jeju back in 2016. The trip she had with Chorong - just the two of them. No friends, no members, no managers or staff. It had been Bomi’s idea - an impromptu trip to Jeju. Chorong, being a homebody, had felt hesitant about such a sudden trip, but she figured she’d do it for Bomi, if not herself. They shared a room and a bed, and there wasn’t anything strange or surprising about that. But on the last night of their stay, with her arm around Chorong and the lights turned off, she feels the older girl lazily turn her body under Bomi’s embrace till they’re facing each other.

“Thanks for bringing me out of the house, Bbom-ah, I had a good time”, Chorong‘s soft voice comes out as gentle as always, and Bomi can hear, if not feel how close their faces are. She freezes in place for a moment, her brain suddenly unable to process the little space between them, their bodies nearly against each other’s, her hand on Chorong’s waist and how their noses were almost touching. Time slows down and Bomi can barely see anything in the dark, but the moonlight falls on Chorong’s face, highlighting her facial features. The older girl has her eyes closed and god, Bomi thinks Chorong looks exceptionally serene and beautiful that night.

“Oh- oh yeah, no problem, thanks for agreeing to come with me”, she barely manages to voice out. She doesn’t even know if Chorong is still awake. What happens next is blurry and Bomi doesn’t even feel herself leaning forward and closing her eyes until she feels her lips on Chorong’s. She jerks away at the contact and for a second she’s terrified that she might have woken Chorong up, so she freezes for the second time tonight. Chorong hasn’t moved an inch and Bomi silently thanks her ancestors. Bomi falls back asleep and when they’re up the next morning, neither of them brings up what happened the night before, not that there was anything to bring up. Chorong isn’t even aware that Bomi kissed her. Chorong would’ve screamed the moment she felt Bomi’s lips and probably hapkido kicked her. It was just a peck, a really light and quick peck, but Bomi couldn’t stop thinking about it for the whole trip back home. She decided this would be a secret she’d keep to herself and hopefully forget over enough time.

//

It’s the first week of january 2018. The girls have been putting in heaps of time and effort into the concert preparation as they usually do. Apink’s fourth concert, “pink space”, is less than a week away and Chorong, as the leader, has been busier than ever. She sits in for a lot of the meetings with the concert planning staff team and managers without the other members and acts as the group’s spokesperson in case she finds anything the members wouldn’t want for their stages or whatnot. Between the long practices and meetings, Chorong hasn’t had much time to rest and it was starting to show.

“Unnie, are you okay?” Bomi walks over to Chorong, who’s sitting at the side of the practice room. They’re having a short water break right now and the other four girls and their dance instructor have left to go to the toilet together, leaving Bomi and Chorong alone.

“Hm? Yeah I’m fine”, Chorong looks up at Bomi and sees Bomi sitting down beside her.

“You don’t seem too well, maybe you should take a break and just go home early today”,

_This_ has also been a development between the two of them. Over the years, Bomi has grown more vocal in terms of the care and concern she has for Chorong. She shows it a lot more now than before, through words and actions. The younger girl’s ways have grown onto Chorong and she reciprocates the same concern she receives. It hits her at that moment, and it’s a really random moment to have a sudden realisation but Chorong is surprised by an epiphany that maybe _this is what love feels like_. Someone constantly caring for you, looking out for you, and it’s not like Chorong has done anything bad, per se, but she believes that Bomi’s feelings for her are unconditional, unwavering, regardless of what Chorong does. Disregarding her family members, for perhaps the first time in her life, Chorong has an idea of what _love_ is.

“It’s fine, Bbom-ah, practice ends in like 2 hours anyways”.

Bomi just watches Chorong as she speaks. Then as their eyes meet, Bomi brings her hand up and brushes a few strands of hair off Chorong’s face then tucks them behind her ear. It’s a simple gesture of care and _attention_ and Chorong smiles at it. If she wasn’t already blushing from dancing for hours, it would’ve shown on her face. Bomi doesn’t have to know, though.

The others start coming back into the room.

“Alright kids, let’s get started”, the instructor announces and the girls get moving again.

//

The concert was amazing, everything went smoothly, and the girls had a blast. The audience was loud and proud and it encouraged the members while they were on stage giving the performance all they had in them.

When Chorong and Bomi reach home, they’re exhausted and overwhelmed, feeling full of joy yet empty inside. A concert is like reading a book - you enjoy the read but most times after you’ve read the last page of it, you feel complete yet not. You need some time to process that you’re done with the story.

They’re both done with their showers when Chorong says, “I feel like having a drink. Have some with me?”

Bomi is a horrible drinker, really, but she never says no to ~~Chorong~~ some alcohol. She’s still trying to increase her tolerance so she can drink more with her friends when she’s out with them without having to worry that she’d pass out or do something terrible to ruin her idol image in public.

Chorong gets two glasses and brings out a bottle of soju and two cans of beer from the fridge. There’s no schedule for the next few days so she decides it’s fine to be a bit generous tonight. She sets them down on the low table they have in the living room with the television playing. In the living room. Which is why Bomi is a little confused when she realises that they’ve somehow moved to Bomi’s bed. Almost naturally, Chorong is in her embrace, and a movie is playing on Bomi’s wall in front of them with the mini projector she has set up above her bed frame. Chorong’s head is on Bomi’s arm and Bomi is lying partially on her side, with her other arm holding Chorong. There’s almost no space between their bodies, even with all the space they have on a big queen-sized bed, but it feels comfortable. It’s such an odd position because Bomi has to tilt her head to watch the movie but she doesn’t complain. For a second, Bomi wonders if she’s dreaming. She turns to face Chorong.

“Sleep here with me tonight?” Bomi asks and makes a mental note that she isn’t dreaming because that felt very real,

“Hm?” Chorong hums as she turns her head to the side to face Bomi, the tips of their noses brushing against one another ever so slightly. 

Their faces are so close and Bomi is staring into big round eyes that she feels her heart might combust into flames with how fast her body seems to be heating up. Ironically, she freezes instead. Her brain suddenly malfunctioning at the little space between their faces, her arm still draped around Chorong’s waist. Time and the air around them still and Bomi can’t see anything but Chorong. She’s so entranced by Chorong’s eyes that she misses the faint blush growing on the leader’s cheeks. Bomi looks into those heavy-lidded eyes, heavy from the alcohol, she presumes, and god, Bomi thinks Chorong looks captivating. This feels awfully familiar. It’s been two years. _Maybe_ _she hasn’t forgotten._

“Sleep here with me tonight?” Bomi swallows and repeats her question after getting somewhat a hold of herself. Her voice suddenly smaller than usual and the hand she has on Chorong’s waist now very conscious of what it’s holding. Neither of them has pulled their heads back.

“Yeah okay...” Chorong practically whispers. Her eyes fall to Bomi’s lips for a second and she feels Bomi leaning forward. Bomi’s eyes are closing and Chorong has half the mind to push Bomi away, to shout and ask if Bomi is crazy, but she doesn’t. The moment Chorong closes her eyes, she feels Bomi’s soft lips on hers. Bomi doesn’t know if it’s the alcohol that’s possessing her to do this and she’s genuinely shocked herself, but she can’t seem to stop and pull away. Or she does pull away, only to kiss Chorong again. Her lips part a little this time and takes in Chorong’s bottom lip, earning a small moan from Chorong, so small that if Bomi’s senses weren’t heightened at that moment, she would’ve missed it.

Bomi retracts the arm beneath Chorong’s head and with the hand previously on her waist, she pushes Chorong onto her back and moves on top of her without breaking their kiss. The kisses are heating up and they’re full-on making out on Bomi’s bed right now. Everything is happening so fast and Bomi puts her knee higher up between the older girl’s legs. All Bomi can think about is Chorong moaning. Chorong’s hands are pinned onto the bed and Bomi starts kissing down her neck.

“Don’t.. leave.. marks, Bbom-ah” Chorong manages to say between erratic breaths. Bomi can’t believe this is happening. She feels like she’s been longing for Chorong for years and the desire and need is overflowing now in this moment because of how long she’s been dismissing it. For a quick second she thinks if this is wrong because Chorong might be acting irrationally from the alcohol, but Chorong’s tolerance definitely exceeds Bomi’s so maybe, just maybe, perhaps _she wants this too_.

Chorong’s shirt and pants are on the floor and it’s her first time so she’s a little scared. If she’s being honest with herself, she’s terrified, so when Bomi hovers above her with her hand tugging the waistband of Chorong’s underwear and she asks,

“Are you sure about this?”, Chorong thinks hard, like _really_ hard, and finally decides that if she had to trust _anyone_ with her body enough to have sex with her, as strange and not platonic as it sounds, it would be Bomi.

“Yes”, Chorong pulls Bomi back down and kisses her so passionately, Bomi feels her heart swell.

Chorong comes beautifully that night with Bomi’s lips on her neck and fingers in her womanhood. They’re sweating and Chorong is panting as Bomi helps her ride off her high. Bomi pulls her face away and watches the woman beneath her. Chorong’s eyebrows are furrowed slightly, her lips are parted, and she has some strands of hair stuck to the sides of her face and Bomi can’t help but be enthralled by the ethereal sight right in front of her.

They fall asleep with Chorong using Bomi as a human bolster. Bomi lays spread out on her bed and Chorong is lying on her side, hugging Bomi’s waist and has one of Bomi’s legs sandwiched between hers. Bomi has her arm under Chorong’s head again and Chorong doesn’t know how to describe the feeling she has in her chest but if she had to use a word, it would be “complete”. Chorong felt _complete_.

But like all good things come to an end, Chorong’s feeling of _completeness_ gets shattered perhaps way too quickly when Bomi says,

“Not everyone is okay with being friends with benefits, but I’m glad you are. Goodnight, unnie”

Chorong doesn’t respond. She doesn’t know how to. What was she expecting? For Bomi to just proclaim her love for Chorong? She should’ve known better. This is Bomi she’s talking about. The player that used to have flings with _pretty girls_ in high school.

Bomi wakes up around noon the next day and it’s already noon so, obviously, Chorong isn’t in her bed anymore. She walks out the room and sees Chorong drying a cup in the kitchen. Like a moth to a flame, Bomi walks towards Chorong and wraps her arms around her waist from the back. Bomi is still only half awake when she feels hands gently pushing her arms down and away from the small body she was just embracing. Chorong turns around so she’s facing the younger girl and Bomi looks down at her wrists being held by Chorong’s soft hands and it’s when she hears what Chorong says next that makes Bomi look up at her, fully awake.

“Bomi, we need to talk.”

And Bomi gets scared for reasons she doesn’t know.

Chorong had woken up earlier that morning and quietly untangled herself from Bomi to get out of bed. She woke up overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions from the night before and she needed time and space to think. Chorong heads to the kitchen and brews some coffee then pours a cup for herself, habitually leaving the rest in the coffee pot for Bomi. She sits on the highchair of the kitchen island, bringing her elbows onto the white marble before dropping her head into her hands. She lets out a distressed sigh. She shouldn’t have said yes, but she did, and now it’s a problem. Or is it really? Chorong believes that Bomi hasn’t or can’t quite grasp how serious of an issue this is, so she’s alone at 11 in the morning, stressing over how to fix their situation herself. As the group’s leader, Chorong has been in countless situations where she has had to step up to solve a problem, but this was definitely a unique situation. It takes her about an hour to thoroughly rack her brain and finish her coffee.

They sit on their couch in the living room and Bomi is the first to speak up,

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

“I just think… what happened last night was a mistake. We were both intoxicated and I obviously wasn’t thinking clearly. It was a moment of vulnerability and we were already overwhelmed from the concert. Look, Bomi, from what I remember, it was great and I’m glad my first time was with someone I could trust. But I had this morning to think about it and ultimately, I shouldn’t have said yes.”

Bomi just watches Chorong as she doesn’t know what to say, or if she was even supposed to say anything anyways, so she just blankly looks at Chorong, taking in her words.

“As a leader, I should’ve prioritised the group and stopped you. In fact, I should’ve had this talk with you two years ago, then last night probably wouldn’t have happened.”

Bomi furrows her eyebrows and tilts her head at this, trying to understand what Chorong is talking about, and when she doesn’t say anything, Chorong continues,

“In Jeju, when you kissed me.”

Her eyes widen as it dawns upon her that Chorong was awake that night. Her heart almost stops beating entirely and she’s speechless, she doesn’t know what to say now that she knows that Chorong has known all this time that Bomi kissed her. Her brain is trying to make it make sense, but it can’t. She can’t process this long overdue piece of information that she’s kind of wishing she never knew.

“Oh”, is all Bomi says after what feels like a whole minute of silence between them.

Chorong looks apologetic, like she feels bad for telling Bomi all this, but she had to. In the hour she had that morning to think, she decided that she had to put the group before herself. Letting whatever she had with Bomi continue would’ve been irresponsible and selfish. She had to stop to it before it progressed any further. Not only would it change the group’s dynamics, but their group that has been working so hard all these years would be hated on if word ever got out about their relationship, especially in the country they were in. Chorong couldn’t do that to her members, she couldn’t let them down like that. How pitiful that they have to go through a breakup without even being together.

Sometimes we hurt the ones we love. And no matter the reason, if we love them like we say we do, the pain is never one-sided. By now, Chorong is sure she loves Bomi. It makes sense to her, it’s why she feels her heart breaking, but she’s doing this for what she believes is the greater good. _She’s doing this to protect herself_. If anything bad were to happen between her and Bomi, it would ruin the group. The group that Chorong has been guiding and leading and has grown together with all these years. Undoubtedly, this “breakup” would be hard for each of them, and they might take some time to truly understand and heal from it, but even though Chorong believes in taking risks, she couldn’t risk Apink for anything.

“The truth is… I can’t do this, we can’t be friends with beneifts because I’m in love with you, Bomi.”

Bomi starts waving her hands in front of Chorong’s face as she looks at the older girl with worried eyes.

“Hello?? Rongie unnie are you okay? You haven’t answered me – what did you want to talk about?”

Chorong blinks a few times, taking in a deep breath as she regains her focus on Bomi. She had imagined the whole conversation and how it would go, which means Bomi still believes Chorong was asleep when she kissed her in Jeju, Bomi still thinks it’s okay to be friends with benefits, Bomi doesn’t know that _Chorong_ _is in love with her_. From Chorong’s imagination, the ‘talk’ didn’t look too pleasant and Chorong suddenly has the urge to avoid such difficult confrontation, which is why she says,

“I really want to get plants and raise them in our house. Is that okay?”

“ _WhAt_?” Bomi’s question comes out a little louder than expected and Chorong just blinks at her. She’s awfully surprised and dumbfounded.

“I can just put them in my room if you don’t like it,” Chorong’s voice comes out a lot smaller than Bomi’s and the younger girl would have reached forward to cradle Chorong’s face like a baby’s if she wasn’t so stunned at the moment.

“No, I mean yeah, that’s fine with me. You, raising the plants, I mean,” Bomi trips over her own words because she’s still kind of bewildered by the extremely random and unnecessarily serious discussion about plants.

“Okay great, thanks Bbom-ah”

Fuck. Now she has to go get plants.

//

Chorong comes up with a plan to convince herself she’s not in love with her house mate. It doesn’t go smoothly though, mainly because they end up having sex a few more times. Chorong never initiates the sex, but she hardly tries to stop the younger girl anyway. The idea of confronting Bomi about this development in their friendship flies out the window the moment Chorong starts thinking about it. She just can’t bring herself to do it.

One time they get intimate is when Chorong comes home from pilates one day. She‘s dressed in her usual fitness wear – which Bomi calls a “distraction to other gym-goers”, Bomi being “other gym-goers”, and who could blame her? Chorong looks _amazing_ in her fitness attire. The way her clothes would hug her petite body and her tights would show off her fairly toned legs, not to mention her curves. Bomi loves it, and she was never really subtle about it. But this one day, she was anything but subtle.

“I’m home!” Chorong declares as she keeps her sports shoes neatly before walking into the living room. Bomi had just walked out of her room and the second she laid eyes on Chorong, a wave of heat rushes through her body. Chorong was in a dusty pink top that accentuated her chest and small waist and black leggings that showed off the figure of her hips and legs. Chorong’s hair was tied in a loose and messy ponytail, and she didn’t have much makeup on but Bomi found Chorong ridiculously attractive at that moment.

Chorong was standing by the kitchen island as she put her belongings down with her keys and was going to throw her small gym towel into the laundry basket. She doesn’t make it anywhere near the laundry area though because Bomi wordlessly walks towards the older girl, her hands immediately attaching themselves to Chorong’s waist as she kisses her, _hard_. Chorong wishes she wasn’t so weak but _she could only wish_ , so she kisses back with the same fervor, their lips moving in harmony. Chorong drops her gym towel on the floor to move her arms up around Bomi’s neck. Bomi takes the lead, something Chorong soon learns is in Bomi’s sexual nature, and brings them to her bedroom. For such a great leader, Chorong sure _follows_ a lot. They’re on Bomi’s bed now and Chorong’s breathing gets heavier as Bomi pulls away. She brings her mouth to Chorong’s ear and her voice comes out as a low husky whisper when she says “I want you”. That’s all Chorong needed to hear to let Bomi take control. She lets herself come undone by Bomi’s fingers once again. She heads to the shower soon after coming down from her high. They don’t exchange many words. It’s a comfortable silence and they have it quite a lot in their home.

Chorong is still very much in love with Bomi, and Bomi still has no clue.

//

It’s been about two months since they first had sex, since Chorong’s imaginary talk with Bomi, since Chorong accepted that she was in love with her best friend and Bomi didn’t feel the same way about her. Bomi has been spending her time mainly doing two things; filming for her youtube channel and going out to meet her non-celebrity friends and Chorong is certainly relieved that Bomi has things to keep herself busy and entertained. Contrastingly, and not very surprisingly, Chorong doesn’t have that many spontaneous friends (or spontaneity in her, as matter of fact) and being the homebody she is, staying in her home gives her the most comfort anyway.

It’s a Wednesday when Bomi goes out to meet her friends again but this time, someone in her usual friend group brings along someone new.

_And that’s where she meets Haru._

Haru is so, _so pretty_ , is what Bomi thinks when she first sees her, and Bomi has always been a sucker for _pretty girls_. Haru had a slim physique, dark brunette hair, bangs with hair feelers framing her face, and a contagious smile – contagious to Bomi, at least. The group of them had spent their day having a picnic at the han river. Haru’s voice was mature and attractive, or maybe she was just attractive in general, Bomi caught herself thinking. Bomi learns that Haru is a few years older than her and is a photographer. When Haru shows Bomi some of her work on her phone, their fingers brush against each other and Bomi looks into Haru’s eyes, _oh what pretty eyes_ , and they both break the eye contact after a split second. Bomi takes the phone and scrolls through the beautifully aesthetic pictures but half her mind isn’t there.

When the sun starts setting, the group of friends play ‘scissors paper stone’ to decide who should clear the mess and throw the trash and if the universe was sending Bomi a sign, she figured it would be making her and Haru lose the game. It happens just like she thought. They get up and walk to the bin then decide to take the long way back to their friends, enjoying a stroll with the nice breeze and the sun setting.

“So, are all photographers this pretty?”

“Are you hitting on me?”

“What if I am?” Bomi silently praises herself for such a bold move,

“Well, are you free this Friday?”, Haru can’t even look at Bomi when she asks, her gaze interchanging between the ground and the river. Bomi smiles at this and acts like she’s deep in thought, her hand coming up to rub her chin curiously.

“Hmm… are you asking me out?”

“What if I am?” Haru returns the same line Bomi said just moments ago, turning to face the younger girl and now, Bomi is amused at how bold Haru was getting. She quirks an eyebrow up before answering.

“Then yes, I’m free this Friday”, Bomi doesn’t even know where this is going, but she’s always been a risk-taker and she’d love to find out. It was just a harmless date – wait, was it a date?

Bomi’s thoughts get interrupted when the two of them get back to their friends. The group decides to go to a karaoke bar where they have loads of fun. Bomi and Haru sit on opposite ends and Bomi doesn’t know if she’s hallucinating or if Haru is really sending flirtatious glances her way in the three hours they spend singing and dancing. If Bomi was being honest, her heart rate might’ve surged a few times.

Bomi reaches home past midnight and sees Chorong sitting on the couch in the living room, the television playing but she’s not really watching.

“Hh hey, Bbom-ah, I couldn’t fall asleep so I just came out here to sit and wait for you to come back so we can go to bed together,” that was a lies. She had a cup of coffee in attempt to stay up and wait for Bomi.

Bomi washes up and meets Chorong in her bed, the older girl already curled up in her blanket. They were both on their sides, facing each other when Chorong asks,

“So, did you do anything interesting today?”

Chorong had missed the younger girl that day. She was cooped up at home and started feeling lonely while waiting for Bomi to come back. To make matters worse for her, Bomi had been out longer than usual. She immediately regrets asking that question when Bomi answers, though.

“I met this girl, Haru, she’s really pretty” Bomi chuckles and if Chorong wasn’t as good of an actress as she was, her reaction wouldn’t have been so natural.

“Oh? What is she like?” She doesn’t really want to know but shooting the topic down or changing the subject so suddenly would’ve been weird.

“Well, she’s two years older than me and works as a freelance photographer. She showed me some of her work and she’s great! She’s kind of shy but actually really nice to talk to,” Bomi sounded pretty thrilled about meeting this _Haru_ , but she wouldn’t have any reason to meet her again, right?

_Wrong_ , because Bomi continues,

“We’re meeting again this friday to go out and take pictures. She said I’d be a great model. _Hah!_ Obviously she has a good eye for talent,” Bomi laughs at her self-praise but Chorong’s smile is strained, even if Bomi couldn’t tell. This conversation was only getting more excruciating for Chorong.

“You mean with the whole group of friends?”

“Nope, just the two of us,”

Chorong should really stop asking questions.

//

It’s been a month since Bomi first met Haru. Bomi’s been going out to meet Haru more and more often and Chorong doesn’t quite know what to feel. She figures it’s good for her. Easier for her to get rid of the feelings she’s had for Bomi all this while if Bomi has someone else. But… they wouldn’t actually become something more, _right_?

_Wrong_.

“We’re going to Thailand!” Bomi exclaims as she hops into the kitchen.

“What? Who’s _we_?”

“Me and Haru, of course! Remember the other night I told you I had plans about going on a trip with her?”

“Oh yeah, right, I just thought it would be within Korea.” Chorong had just finished preparing breakfast - omelette on toasted bread with freshly brewed coffee. Bomi beams at the sight as Chorong hands her a plate.

This _friendship_ between Bomi and Haru seemed to be progressing rapidly and at the rate it was going, it wasn’t slowing down any time soon.

//

It’s the third night they’re in Thailand. They got a room with two single beds and Bomi had showered first so now she’s on her bed using her phone. She’s about to open her chat with Chorong to send some pictures but she gets distracted by the sound of the bathroom door opening. Haru walks out with a towel wrapped around her slim body, her hair still damp.

“how silly, I forgot to bring my clothes in before I took the shower haha” she walks over to her luggage to get her clothes and Bomi subconsciously bites her bottom lip at the sight of Haru’s legs where the towel stops. Her gaze rakes over Haru’s slender figure and meets two eyes looking back at her. Bomi’s phone is still in her hands but is long forgotten to her at this point. She almost drops it onto herself when Haru speaks up.

“I can just change here, right?” Haru doesn’t even wait for an answer and she throws her towel onto the edge of the empty bed. She’s naked. In front of Bomi. The younger girl’s mind malfunctions, too many thoughts going through her head. Thoughts of a naked Haru, a really pretty, petite, naked Haru. She doesn’t look away albeit she probably should.

“Like what you see?” God, this girl is bold.

”Yeah” Bomi replies with nonchalance. Two can play this game.

Haru takes her time to put her clothes on, and Bomi makes a mental note that Haru likes teasing. She also makes many mental notes about how pretty Haru’s physique is. Bomi doesn’t text Chorong after that.

Haru and Bomi don’t engage in any intimacy for the whole trip - which is surprising, given how easily Bomi loses self-control, but the sexual tension is definitely present and growing between them.

They feel it in the little touches. When Bomi brushes crumbs from the corner of Haru’s mouth and their eyes get drawn to each other’s, or when Haru holds onto Bomi’s arm when they’re walking and her fingers trace over muscles. But that’s as far as they go during the trip, and Bomi doesn’t know if it’s a pity or if this built up tension will end with a bang, literally.

//

Something shifts between the house mates after that Thailand trip. Bomi initiates sex with Chorong less often and Chorong doesn’t particularly hate that she notices the change. She hates that it bothers her.

Unfortunately, this goes on for the next few months. Chorong can’t help but be overwhelmed with envy and sadness whenever Bomi talks about Haru. But she has to act like everything is fine, even if it really isn’t. She’s awfully lucky she has an acting career.

//

The year is 2019. All promotions for %% (Eung Eung), including the 5th concert, has just ended and Chorong, despite being the healthiest member, falls unwell from overexertion. Her body is tired but her lack of mental capacity, especially with the comeback, the huge concert, and all the schedules they attended, is also taking a toll on her body.

It’s late at night when Bomi’s smiling giddily as she reaches her front door, thinking about the fun day she had from morning to night with Haru. Bomi opens it and when she walks into the living room, she sees Eunji lying on the couch with a sleeping Chorong in her arms, hugging Eunji with her face nuzzled in the other 93 liner’s neck. That’s weird - Bomi doesn’t think she’s ever seen Chorong hug anyone to sleep besides Bomi herself. Also, Chorong looks _awfully_ close to Eunji right now.

“Eunji? What are you doing here?”

“Chorong wasn’t feeling well and wanted some company.”

This was true. It’s been about a year since the first time they had sex, a year since Chorong realised her feelings for Bomi, and Chorong felt like she was starting to cave and would explode if she didn’t talk to someone so she called the next person she could trust after Bomi, and it was Eunji. She had sat the unsuspecting Eunji down on the couch but the moment Eunji so cautiously asked, _“Are you okay?”_ , Chorong broke down. She couldn’t keep all her thoughts and emotions to herself any longer, it was getting too overwhelming and she just needed to let them all out. Being the group’s leader, Chorong constantly put up a brave and strong front, but even the strongest people get hurt. Eunji was probably the safest option she had. The younger girl was mature and sensible and Chorong had always trusted her with the group as well. When Chorong isn’t there, she knows Eunji would be able to handle the other members. So she spills everything to her, from the kiss in Jeju to the sex a year ago, to the fact that Chorong was irrevocably in love with Bomi and her heart was only breaking a little more each passing day. She spares Eunji the details about the sex because she knows Eunji would appreciate not knowing.

“So she called _you_?”, Bomi didn’t mean to emphasise the “ _you_ ” but it slips out of her mouth.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Eunji furrows her eyebrows,

“Ah nothing, I just thought she would’ve told me instead... So how is she?”

“She’ll be fine. Where were you anyway?” Eunji probes,

“Was out with Haru,” Bomi shrugs. It was a simple answer, but the smile starts growing on Bomi’s face and it’s visible in her voice.

“You know, considering I’m your close same-age friend, I haven’t heard much about this Haru,”

“Well, you know I like the pretty ones,” she gives a sly smile and chuckles before walking out of Eunji’s sight and into her room.

Eunji snorts and playfully rolls her eyes at how brazen Bomi sounded then instinctively holds Chorong a little tighter when she feels the girl tighten her hug around Eunji which is when she realises _Chorong is awake._

Before Eunji leaves the next day, she holds Chorong’s hands in hers and says “Remember what I told you, unnie. Try to talk to her, okay? I’m always a call away if you need me”. Then she leaves, Chorong closes the door and sighs.

Eunji had told her to talk to Bomi and finish the talk she never did properly two years ago. Chorong had to face Bomi and confess her feelings, hope Bomi would understand and give Chorong some space to heal and get over her. As simple as that sounded, it really wasn’t. _Talking about something makes it real_ , which is why Chorong has been actively avoiding talking about her feelings. _She doesn’t want them to be real_ because that just complicates everything between her and Bomi. If she talks about whatever it is between them, it’s like opening a pandora’s box of ramifications. How would Bomi react to finding out that Chorong, her supposed best friend, has been in love with her for years? Well, Chorong doesn’t know, and uncertainty scares her. It’s why Chorong decides - not today.

Chorong is on her bed, about to take a nap when Bomi knocks on her door. She opens it slightly and puts her head through the gap.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine”

“Can I come in?”

“Yeah”

Bomi walks over to the bed and sits on the edge beside Chorong, who’s still lying down.

“So... Why didn’t you call me if you weren’t feeling well yesterday?”

“You had plans with Haru, I knew you weren’t free.” Bomi frowns slightly at this. She raises her hand to tuck some coral pink hair away from Chorong’s face and behind her ear when she says,

_“I’m always free for you.”_

Chorong’s eyes look somewhat sad and lost, and she releases a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She wants to believe Bomi. This is the closest she’s felt with her house mate in months and she can’t help but feel scared. She wants to believe that Bomi meant what she said, and it scares her ever so slightly because believing something means having the risk of being disappointed. Chorong hasn’t said anything in reply to that and she’s just looking up at Bomi, desperately searching for truth behind those bright eyes. Just then, Bomi leans down and habitually, they close their eyes as Bomi lands a soft peck on the corner of Chorong’s mouth.

“I’ll be in my room if you need me” then she gets up from the bed and Chorong thanks the eight years of hapkido to train her reflexes because she reaches out and grabs Bomi’s wrist before she can walk away. Bomi stops and turns back to look at Chorong,

“Do you... want something?”

Chorong figures if she’s too weak to confront Bomi any time soon, she might as well make the most of moments like this – _while they still have moments._

“Sleep with me?” Chorong asks,

Bomi is standing there with her wrist in Chorong’s grasp and all she can think of is the first night they got intimate. She had asked Chorong a similar question and it opened a lot of doors to their current friendship. That night probably changed their fate for the many years to come after. The silence between them has never been so uncomfortable and Chorong is losing hope by the second. She’s about to say “sorry, nevermind, just forget I asked” when Bomi starts to climb onto the bed and slips under the blanket. The hesitation in Bomi’s delayed response doesn’t go unnoticed to Chorong, but she also notes that Bomi is here in her bed anyway. She’s there with her, and for her, and that’s all that matters to Chorong right now.

Almost automatically, they start adjusting their positions so they’re spooning again like they used to. Bomi as the big spoon and Chorong as the content little spoon. They move like it’s a routine because it feels _familiar_ , and the pink haired girl realises she misses this comfort a lot more than she thought she did.

//

The doorbell is ringing and it stirs the two sleeping house mates up from their slumber.

“I’ll get the door. Are you expecting someone?” Bomi groans as she gets out of the bed.

“Not that I’m aware of” Chorong replies.

Eunji beams at Bomi who opens the door for her and she walks into the house carrying plastic bags of packed food. The fragrance fills up the house with a warm homey feeling.

“I brought you soup!” Eunji raises the hand carrying the plastic bag when she sees Chorong emerge from her room. Eunji starts setting up the food on the table when Chorong walks up to her.

“Oh you didn’t have to,” Chorong sighs as she holds Eunji’s arm, her thumb gently caressing Eunji’s biceps. Bomi’s sharp eyes catch this act of endearment and she scrunches her nose up subconsciously.

“But thank you,” Chorong’s words are full of warmth as she leans her head onto Eunji’s shoulder, her hands still holding onto Eunji’s arm. _When did Chorong get so affectionate with Eunji?_ Bomi thinks to herself. Thankfully, Eunji brought enough food for all three of them so they sit and have dinner together. When Eunji asks why she’s being so quiet that night, Bomi shrugs it off and says she’s _tired_.

//

Bomi has been going out with Haru for almost a whole year now, and Chorong has yet to meet the said girl in real life. Not that she’d be thrilled to - she’d probably start evaluating the girl the second they meet. It’s for Bomi, of course, because Chorong cares about the younger girl and just wants to be sure that someone _worthy_ is making Bomi happy, even if it isn’t Chorong herself.

“I’ll be home late, don’t wait up!” Bomi announces out loud in the house for Chorong to hear. She’s wearing her boots by the door and Chorong walks out of her room to help lock the door for Bomi.

“Meeting Haru?” Chorong knows the answer but she still asks.

“Yeah”

“Stay safe” and Chorong can’t even fathom out where she gets the courage from but she puts her hands on Bomi’s shoulders and gives her a peck on the lips.

“Okay” Bomi blinks before she gives a kind smile then walks out the house. Chorong freezes at the door, her heart drops and she’s devastated.

_Bomi didn’t kiss back._

Chorong is still standing by the door, deep in thought. _This doesn’t mean anything... Right?_

_Wrong_. And she knew it too.

The last time Bomi did anything remotely intimate with Chorong was last month when she kissed the corner of her mouth and spooned Chorong for a nap, the day Eunji came over unannounced bearing dinner.

Within the month after that, Haru had been getting even bolder and Bomi wasn’t going to lose this fight. They still weren’t officially together labelled as a couple because, well for starters, Bomi is an idol is Korea. But Haru has brought it up in a conversation and the two of them came to a conclusion that they could do “couple things” without actually being a couple.

Haru had invited Bomi over for lunch one day. She lives alone and relatively near Chorong and Bomi’s house - only a twenty-minute drive. So Bomi drives there for lunch, which Haru prepared. They’re eating and Bomi is suddenly reminded of the food she enjoys so much in her own home. The food Chorong prepares for her.

“I guess you like home-cooked food” Haru chuckles as she watches Bomi stuff her mouth with rice.

“Mhm! Chorong unnie cooks for me a lot!” Bomi was too focused on eating to notice that Haru’s smile drops a little at this statement.

“Speaking of Chorong... Is she seeing anyone?”

“What do you mean?”

“Is she dating?”

Bomi’s spoon of rice stops in front of her open mouth and she looks up at Haru.

“No, why?”

“Well hasn’t she met anyone in the industry? Like a nice boy?”

“Hah! A _boy_?” It slips out of Bomi’s careless mouth and she freezes, her smile disappearing in an instant.

“She’s not into guys?” Haru takes the opportunity and questions cautiously.

“Oh, well, I don’t know. But she’s not seeing anyone.”

_Haru isn’t stupid though_. She knows something is definitely up between Bomi and Chorong, even if it was in the past. She just doesn’t want to bombard Bomi with questions so she stops asking. Bomi’s body language is awfully easy to read and right now at this table, she’s revealing a lot more to Haru than she thinks. They’re more than friends - Bomi and Chorong, even if Bomi doesn’t say it. It’s the most plausible explanation to why Bomi hasn’t tried anything further than just kissing Haru. They’ve made out in Bomi’s car a few times when Bomi drives her home and they’ve reached her place, but every time Haru asks if Bomi would like to come upstairs, Bomi says it’s late and she should head home. _Yeah, head home to Chorong waiting for you._ Is what Haru wants to say but doesn’t. _“Oh, okay sure, goodnight!”_

It’s why Haru decides she has to do something while she can. They end up on her bed, watching a movie on the flat screen TV Haru had in her room. Honestly at this point, Haru’s a little surprised Bomi even agreed to this. They’re sitting beside each other, with pillows behind their backs against the headboard of the bed.

Haru has Bomi’s hand in hers, inattentively playing with Bomi’s smooth fingers while watching the movie. Haru brings the hand she’s playing with onto her thigh and she’s so glad she’s wearing shorts. If Bomi was surprised by this, she doesn’t show it on her face. Bomi starts lightly caressing the leg her hand is on and it turns into slow kneads. Both of them are still facing the front, watching the movie play. But the kneading is affecting Haru and a sultry sigh slips out between her parted lips. The sound gets Bomi to turn and face the older girl. Haru has her eyes shut and her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

_Fuck, she looks hot._

What happens next is a blur. Bomi starts kissing her neck, her hand now tracing circles on Haru’s inner thigh and that gets the older girl squirming. They end up shifting lower for Haru to lie on the bed with Bomi on top of her and they start making out heavily. Bomi’s last bit of self control is lost somewhere on the floor, along with Haru’s shirt perhaps.

Bomi has her face between Haru’s legs and the latter is moaning so much, Bomi’s afraid the neighbours might hear her. But what Haru says while Bomi’s lapping at her womanhood shocks her.

“Does Chorong taste as good as me?” It comes out bitchy with an attitude and Bomi doesn’t know if it’s wrong that she finds it really sexy. But wait, what the fuck did she just say? Bomi tenses and she’s about to look up but Haru grabs a fistful of black hair and keeps Bomi’s head between her legs.

“Does she?” She sounds a little angrier this time, almost desperate for an answer.

“N-no” Bomi tries not to lose too much momentum. Haru doesn’t respond to that but she stops probing for the rest of the sex they have. She comes soon after Bomi moves back up to kiss her and works her fingers where her tongue just was.

Once they’ve both caught their breaths, Bomi gives Haru one more deep kiss.

“I don’t know what happened there but if I’m being honest, that was really fucking hot”

Haru chuckles lightly at the blunt statement, “Do you swear a lot?”

“Kind of, but Chorong doesn’t like me swearing so..” She trails off without finishing her sentence.

“Speaking of Chorong...”

This scares Bomi because she doesn’t know what to expect. How did Haru know and why did she choose to stay quiet until just now? She wouldn’t give her some sort of ultimatum, right?

“You two aren’t... doing anything while this” she waves her index finger between herself and Bomi before continuing, “is happening, right?”

“Yeah, no, of course not. It’s all in the past, don’t worry.” Bomi feels a slight tug in her chest the moment these words leave her mouth but she doesn’t dwell on it.

Bomi doesn’t stay the night but she promises she will next time. She drives home and Chorong is already asleep so she quietly moves around the house and in her room. She doesn’t tell Chorong about her sexcapade the next day, or ever. She reasons with herself that Chorong simply doesn’t need to know. Even though they were supposedly best friends who told each other everything.

To be fair, Chorong still has that huge secret she’s been keeping from Bomi.

//

“You know I’ve been thinking, we have mutual friends but I’ve never met your members.”

Haru and Bomi and are on a picnic date by Han river. She used to do this with Chorong quite a lot, except it wouldn’t be a date, ~~and she’s forgotten all about it~~.

“So... you wanna meet them?”

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just that Naeun, Namjoo and Hayoung live with their families and it’s pretty far away so it might be hard for them.”

“Oh, that’s okay then”

“Unless you don’t mind just meeting Chorong and Eunji?” Bomi pauses before adding,

“You’re okay with meeting Chorong... Right?”

“Well, I won’t lie to you, she’s not my _favourite_ person, but I’ll try to be nice, _for you_ ,” Haru shrugs and Bomi makes a mental note.

//

When Bomi had brought it up to Chorong later that week, it felt like a stab to Chorong’s heart. She never imagined things between the two of them would get this serious that Bomi would feel the need to introduce Haru to the members. The year flew by so quickly, Chorong feels like she missed all the developments in their relationship in a blink of an eye. _How did she let this happen?_ She was about to start beating herself up inside when Bomi adds,

“Also, just a heads up, she might give you a little attitude but just ignore it, okay?” Bomi hopes really hard that Chorong wouldn’t question her, but of course she does.

“Wait- why would she give me attitude?”

“Well, I just don’t think she’s your biggest fan… or a fan at all..”

“And why is that?” Chorong was confused. She hasn’t even met Haru and the girl already dislikes her? Not that the feelings weren’t mutual, but at least Chorong had a valid reason, sort of, _if jealousy was a valid reason_.

“She _might_ know that we… you know…” Bomi starts making hand gestures and Chorong just frowns in even more confusion.

“That we what?”

“That we were friends with benefits”

_Oh_

_“_ _H_ _ow_ _exactly_ _does she know that_?” Chorong questions with doubt in her voice.

“I _swear_ I didn’t say anything! She said she had a gut feeling and just figured it out somehow”

“Just promise you won’t say anything or be mean to her, okay? I really like her and I don’t want her feeling insecure just because the two of us used to have sex.”

Damn, Chorong really wasn’t ready for that blow.

“Yeah, okay, promise.”

//

The evening arrives and so does Haru, her arrival indicated by the ring of the doorbell. Eunji had come over a bit earlier because she wanted to be there when Chorong first meets Haru, and so the three of them wouldn’t be alone together because it might get weird.

Bomi opens the door and everyone hears the “Hey babe!”. Chorong doesn’t think she’s ever heard Bomi call her such a term of endearment.

The peck on the lips comes right after the greeting and Eunji glances at Chorong who’s been watching the whole exchange. _Oh boy, this was gonna be tough._

Eunji suggested the idea to order food so Chorong didn’t have to go through the trouble of cooking for four. They finish the food and now they’re in the living room having some beers, having casual conversation.

“Truth or dare” Haru says facing Bomi.

“Truth”

“Which Apink member would you marry?”

Eunji’s eyes widen when she hears the question, awkwardly taking a sip of her drink. Chorong averts her eyes to Bomi and stares. Haru’s eyes don’t waver from Bomi’s but Bomi’s eyes jump a lot between Haru and the ground and Chorong and Haru and the ground. She feels the three of them staring at her, waiting for an answer. Bomi had told Chorong not to say anything wrong but now she feels that she might’ve needed that reminder for herself. The answer that popped up in her head was Chorong. _Her answer to this question has always been Chorong_. So it’s a shock when she exclaims “Naeun!”

“What?!” The three ask simultaneously, their voices seemingly loud from surprise.

“I’d marry Naeun because she’s smart, kind and so so pretty” Bomi doesn’t know if she’s trying to convince herself or the three pairs of eyes boring into her. She doesn’t even know which would be worse. “and you know, I like-“

“pretty girls” Chorong beats Bomi to finishing her sentence. Everyone turns to Chorong and she looks up to meet Bomi’s eyes. The contact lingers for merely two seconds but Haru catches onto it.

“My turn!” Eunji disrupts the silence in the room in attempt to avoid a really awkward night. It works.

//

“Hey babe… did you and Chorong ever talk about ending the friends with benefits thing?” Haru asked.

“Uhh no, not really” Bomi tore her eyes away from the television to face the girl.

“Well I think you two should talk about it, so you can tell her that it’s over between you guys, you know?”

“Oh… yeah I guess” Bomi turns her head back to watch the television. She hasn’t done anything intimate with Chorong in many months but thinking about ending it officially? Never crossed her mind. Bomi never thought it was necessary to have to “end” the arrangement between her and Chorong because there were no strings attached anyways. _What was there to end?_ Her thoughts get disrupted when Haru starts talking again.

“Do you not want to? You don’t need her anymore, you know that.”

Where was all of this coming from? Bomi was getting scared but she took a second to think about what Haru said, and it was true, wasn’t it? She didn’t exactly need Chorong for any sexual benefit anymore, especially not with Haru around.

Bomi turns to face Haru once again, this time grabbing a hold of the older girl’s hands and holding them in her own. “No, I get it. I’ll sit and talk to her when I get the chance. Don’t worry, _I love you_ ”

That’s also a development in their relationship. Haru said the words first. It was under the moon and stars that night they laid on picnic mats and watched the night sky. _“Bomi, I love you”_ it had come out soft and sincere and Bomi was thrilled that night. It was yet another step taken in their no-label relationship. _“I love you too”_

//

Chorong had decided. She thought long and hard for countless nights and finally decided she would tell Bomi _everything_. From the kiss in Jeju to Chorong being irrevocably in love with the girl. She had to tell Bomi before things got even more serious with Haru.

“Bomi, I need to tell you something,” Chorong holds Bomi’s hand and leads her to the couch in their living room. They’re back here once again, but Bomi beats Chorong to it and speaks up first.

“Wait, I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you, and it’s really important.”

“Oh, go ahead,” Fear is growing onto her and she drops her head slightly, suddenly unable to look into Bomi’s eyes.

“I know we haven’t done anything uhh… intimate, in a while now” Chorong’s ears perked up at this, she nodded her head slowly, unsure of what Bomi was getting at. “I just thought it was important that we’re both on the same page about this coming to an end. I love Haru and I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.”

“Oh… okay.” _Well, shit._

“Now that that’s off my chest, what did you want to tell me?” There’s a smile on Bomi’s face but a glint in her eye and Chorong is too taken aback to notice. Her head was full of loud thoughts and she was losing focus in her vision.

It was now or never. The last chance for Chorong to try and change her fate. One final moment for her to spill everything to Bomi, the love of her life. The girl she’s spent the best years of her entire life with, and will continue to live with for God knows how long.

But then she thinks again. She may love Bomi with all her heart and soul, but Bomi doesn’t love her back, right?

_Wrong, but she didn’t know that._

This was selfish and if Chorong really loved Bomi, she should be thinking of what Bomi wants. Sometimes we have to let go of the people we love because we want the best for them and if letting them slip away is the best way to make them happy, we’ll do it without a doubt. Love is wonderful and eye-opening but it isn’t always a happy story and Chorong knows this. She’s mature enough to put others’, especially Bomi’s needs before her own, yet foolish enough to miss the fact that Bomi wouldn’t want that. But in the end, Chorong just wanted Bomi to be happy. If Haru was the one that could do that, then she’ll just have to live with it and eventually get over it and move on. She wasn’t going to ruin or come in between Bomi’s loving relationship with Haru. That was selfish, and Chorong has always been selfless, even if this specific decision would hurt her for a _very_ long time. She believes that this is the right thing to do, which is why she says,

“ _That’s exactly what I was gonna say_ ,” It takes all the power within her to keep her eyes dry from tears and she manages to do so, even though she feels her heart is close to ripping itself into a million pieces. She doesn’t know if what she feels is too much or not enough but she manages to flash a small smile at Bomi and of course, Bomi, the oblivious and naive girl she is, believes it.

“Oh! Really? That’s great! I’m so glad you think so too! Anyways, I’ve gotta head out soon so I’ll see you tonight!” Bomi gets up from the sofa and walks to her room. Her heart feels heavy. That’s weird. Shouldn’t she feel lighter if she got something like that off her chest? Ending things with Chorong when there wasn’t anything to end was just ending the possibilities of them being something _more_. It was the right choice though… right?

_Wrong, but she didn’t know that._

// end //

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!!! please leave a comment for your thoughts on the story or my writing, I'd appreciate it :> reach me on twitter @minatozakimchi :>


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